Far From Where You Are
by Caitlinlaurie
Summary: Oliver can't seem to verbalize what it is he wants, but when he finally gets the chance will he be able to tell Chloe how he feels? Chlollie, Chloliver
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, they are the property of Smallville and DC Comics.

A/N: This is based on the characters as they appear on the show, not in the comics.

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_Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity_ --Henry Van Dyke

Chapter 1

Oliver Queen was not a patient man. He was a man of action used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it. Maybe that was what was so appealing about being the Green Arrow. It was a live without rules in which he could take and give at his discretion. As a superhero he was only bound by one thing: his mortality. And as his other identity, billionaire playboy, he was bound by nothing. He could have what he wanted when he wanted it. Only one thing had ever been denied to him. And that one thing was _her_.

The first time he saw her she had been unconscious, her body draped over her chair in the Daily Planet with his silver ring in her hand. He had reached over, taking the ring from her outstretched palm and even through his glove he had felt a jolt. From behind the darkness of his glasses he could not easily discern her looks, but he had been intrigued. But had needed to leave, though he wished he could stay.

The first time he had met her he had been struck by her beauty and easy smile. A shock of electricity had gone straight to his gut as quickly as regret had filled him. Regret because he hadn't met her first, before her cousin. While Oliver might always have been able to attain what he wanted, she was not something that could be acquired. She was not another yacht or flashy car; hell, she wasn't even one in his endless string of women. She was an untouchable angel who just happened to be the cousin of the girl he was dating.

And he was not a patient man.

He had begun dating Lois to while away the time while he was in Metropolis. He knew their relationship was never going to progress but that had not bothered him at the time. Because at the time he had not met Chloe.

He began dating Lois not only for company but also for the excellent cover that she provided. An attached man was rarely inflicted with the amount of scrutiny that an unattached one was. And if there was one thing that Oliver could not afford it was scrutiny. He had made a promise to himself to right the wrongs of the world, and he could not do that if he was exposed.

And if he dumped Lois for her cousin, he was sure that he would be exposed. Lois was already on the tail the Green Arrow and he could not afford for her to re-question all the coincidences that she had overlooked until now. It would not be long before it all came together for her, not long before he was hounded as a vigilante and a thief. And Ollie just could not take that risk.

So he denied himself the one woman who had ever made his heart race.

When Chloe had come to his penthouse and casually told him that she knew his secret he thought his world had just crashed around him, but she did not seem put off by it at all. He should have known that she would understand. He wanted to take her in his arms at that moment, but she had been too focused on rescuing Clark and Bart. Always worried about Clark.

Later, he tried to ignore the way his heart had clenched when she had told Bart she had a boyfriend. And he tried to keep his jealousy intact when she defended Clark for the millionth time. He would give anything to be in Clark's position. To be the man that she loved, if only from a distance, to have the history and the closeness, to be the hero that she called out for when she was in trouble. He would give anything for that, but it would never be.

When her mother needed to escape Lex, Ollie had jumped at the opportunity to help Chloe out in any small way. In his heart he hoped she appreciated what he had done, and he had smiled when he received the glowing email of thanks that she had sent him. She had written of him "going above and beyond the call of a hero", her words glowing her thanks. Little did she know that he would do anything for her. Do anything to be her hero, but that position was already filled.

Clark was her hero, and Oliver was the man that broke her cousin's heart and occasionally sent work her way.

Ollie had never meant for it to happen originally. When he and Lois broke up he breathed a sigh of relief, though he could not show it, and thought he was leaving Metropolis behind him. But one time when Victor was on a mission he had called her. Her voice had been warm on the phone and he was glad that he had not lost her good favor when he ended things with her cousin. He offered to pay her for a little research and hacking, and before she knew it she was freelancing for the Justice League.

She probably thought of it as a way to pay her bills, but to Oliver it was so much more than that. It was his way to stay in her life, however brief any contact with her might be. She was all business, but he was just happy to hear the sound of her voice.

And when she picks up the phone and says, "Sullivan," in a clipped professional tone, he smiles into the receiver.

"Hey Watchtower," Ollie says with a smile. "Feeling lucky tonight?"

Chloe smiles, though he cannot see. "I thought you'd never call."

It was enough. Enough for him, for now. Oliver was not a patient man, but he would wait.

* * *

Had someone told her a year ago that she would yearn for the hours she spent outside of the Daily Planet, Chloe Sullivan would have laughed in their face. The Planet was the one thing she had always dreamed of, and she could not have even begun to imagine the day when that might change. It had happened slowly, over time. And it had started simply enough. Her new smirking editor had told her that her stories lost their heart while trumpeting the drivel filled articles that her cousin wrote for a gossip rag. Then before she knew it, Lois was sharing space with her in the basement of the Daily Planet.

She had never thought of herself as the jealous type, but she found herself seething over the praise Grant, her editor, laid at Lois's feet. It soothed her pride somewhat when she found out that Lois and Grant were having an extra-curricular relationship, but very little. No, by then the Planet had begun to lose its charms. Soon after Lex Luthor bought the paper and Chloe began to dread coming to work. She was determined not to quit, she wouldn't give Lex that kind of satisfaction, but she also did not feel the same way about her job anymore. It was no longer her sole desire, and now that she and Jimmy were over she found herself at a loss to fill the free time.

Then along came Oliver Queen.

He had started using her freelance skills nine months before, but the projects she worked for him were usually done over the phone with very limited contact involved. Tonight was the first time that she had been unable to help on her own computer. She needed to be with the mainframe in order to fix whatever he needed. Which is how she found herself in the elevator at Queen Towers being lifted to the penthouse apartment. When she arrived on the top floor, she waited patiently for the safety gate to move and then she stepped into the expansive apartment.

"Oliver?" She called out as she moved further into the room. She hated that her voice sounded tentative, but she couldn't help but feel nervous about being alone with Oliver. The last time she had been alone with him was then Dinah Lance came to town and Oliver had to rescue her from the roof.

"I'll be right there," Oliver's voice called out, soothing Chloe's nerves.

She smiled to herself, and took off the bag that was on her shoulder along with her coat and scarf. The coat was a deep hunter green, matching the silk blouse that she wore. Chloe often wore green when she knew she was going to see Oliver, though never consciously.

"You're here," Oliver's voice said from behind her.

"As promised," Chloe said. Chloe turned and smiled at him, her heart automatically beginning to beat faster. He looked so handsome in his black shirt and jeans. Chloe could remember the first moment she had met him. She had struggled to keep her mouth closed. He had looked every bit as good then as he did now, but she had not truly appreciated his muscled frame. At the time she had thought his muscles came from appointments with a personal trainer. She now knew that every ripple and every outline on his body was earned on the streets with a bow in his hand.

Oliver allowed himself only a brief moment to savor her company before getting down to business. "Great, well, let's get started. Bart and AC are targeting an oil refinery which is acting as a front for one of Luthor's labs. I normally could have gotten Victor to work on this, but he is in South America and time is of the essence."

"He couldn't just log into the system?" Chloe asked perplexed.

Oliver coughed, turning his face away. When he looked back at her his cheeks were slightly pink. "Uh, no. He is off the grid for the moment."  
Chloe nodded, accepting his words at face value. She sat down at Oliver's desk and soon lost herself in the encrypted files that were before her. As she worked, Ollie brought her coffee which she accepted with a murmur of thanks. Her involvement in the programs gave him an opportunity to study her which he tried to do without alerting her. She had been right to question why Victor couldn't accomplish this task, it would be simple for him to hack into the files and pull up what they needed. But for some reason, Ollie had just needed to see Chloe. They hadn't crossed paths physically since there run in with Dinah as Ollie had been giving her work over the phone. But when he had the opportunity to come back to Metropolis to take care of some Queen Industries business, he had jumped at the chance.

He had been so lonely over the past three months. The Justice League had been as active as ever, with one new additional member. Dinah, aka The Black Canary, was settling into the team just fine. She had made a few overtures towards him, and in another life he might have accepted them, but she couldn't be Chloe. Her hair was too short, the color too brassy. Her eyes were the wrong color, like dark clouds instead of green meadows. She was too sarcastic bordering on cruel instead of snarky, and she seemed to care for nothing but the mission. Oliver knew that she only wanted a physical relationship with him, no emotions involved. In the past he would have accepted without hesitation, but things were different now. After his relationship with Lois ended, he realized that he couldn't be with anyone in place of Chloe. It just wasn't fair to the other woman, and it wasn't fair to Chloe, though she knew nothing of his feelings, but mostly it wasn't fair to himself. He didn't want to accept a pale imitation anymore. He wanted the real blonde reporter who sat before him biting her lip in fierce concentration.

"Well, I think I have the bulk of it now," Chloe said an hour later. "This last file needs to decrypt, but that might take some time." Chloe looked over to where Ollie sat on the sofa, reading the printouts of what she had already decrypted for him.

Ollie looked up, pretending to have been engrossed in his reading, and said, "How much longer do you expect it to take?"

"An hour maybe. Could be two," Chloe said as she stretched her aching muscles, her arms reaching over her head.

Oliver felt his jaw drop as he watched the small amount of skin that was exposed as she lifted her shirt. She was so beautiful, and he was transfixed by that little glimpse of pale skin. Before he knew what he was saying, he blurted out, "Would you like some dinner?"

"Dinner?"

"Yeah, you must be hungry," Ollie said. He gave her a disarming smile and spoke quickly. "I can call for Chinese and it will be here before you know it. They have me on permanent rush order," he said with a grin.

"Sure," Chloe said with a shrug. "I could use a break."

_So could I,_ Oliver thought with frustration. He wished, more than anything else, that Chloe would take off her blinders and see him as a man, and not just her occasional boss. But as she sat there with that sweet and uncomplicated smile, Oliver knew that she wasn't going to see him that way any time soon.

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_A/N: So what do you think? Click the button to the left and let me know._


	2. Chapter 2

_It is very strange that the years teach us patience - that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting— Elizabeth Taylor_

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Chapter 2

"Oliver? Is everything alright? You have been acting distracted all night."

Ollie's head jerked up as she spoke. He couldn't recall her ever having said his name like that before. It was always clipped or business-like, but never before was it concerned. Oliver wanted to groan and drop his head into his hands. Why did she make it so impossible for him to think coherently? Oliver smiled wryly to himself. His friends from Excelsior and Harvard would laugh to see him now, so head over heels for a girl.

And not just any girl, a reporter. The world had cruel irony.

Chloe was smiling at him, and there was something about that gentle grin that made him relax instantly. She was so beautiful and real, unlike most of the other women he had dated. Even with Lois he had never felt this way, as if he was seeing the real version of the woman. Lois was always holding back probably because she had sensed him holding back as well. But Chloe, well, she was real and it gave him the freedom to be real too.

Finally, he responded with a charming smile, "Of course. I am fine."

Chloe looked dubious at his response, but she did not press him further. She tucked into the chow mien that was in front of her as Ollie desperately tried to think of something to say.

"So how has the Planet been under Lex's reign of terror?"

Chloe smiled at his terminology and said, "Surprisingly subdued, actually. I thought there would be more resistance and longtime reporters resigning in protest, but there has been none of that." She sighed as her eyes darkened in thought. "It is rather depressing actually that we have all just seemed to accept the fact that Lex is turning the Daily Planet into his own personal spin machine. Even Lois has bought into it. She writes pieces that carefully circumvent actually saying anything negative about Lex so she can be published."

Ollie looked at her, his eyes intent on her own. "And you? What do you do?"

"Oh, you mean you haven't been reading my scintillating obituaries and classified ads?" Chloe laughed dryly. "I haven't written any major articles for a while now. One, Lex wouldn't publish them, and two because I haven't been…"

"Haven't been what?"

"Haven't been feeling inspired, I guess," Chloe said. The sadness in her eyes made Oliver feel as though he had been kicked in the gut. There was just so much disappointment there; disappointment in herself, Ollie realized suddenly.

"Well, if you are ever looking for a change I know the Ledger would be happy to have you," Oliver said, trying to keep things light.

"The one in Star City? Hmm, I don't quite think a cross-country move is exactly the answer to my problems." Chloe smiled at him and then returned to eating her noodles.

Oliver smiled in return. _Say something, Queen. Tell her why you want her in Star City_. Oliver's thoughts ran wild, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He didn't want to ruin the tenuous grasp on friendship that they had at the moment and scare her off. But mostly, he didn't want her eyes to take on that shuttered look they had around Clark.

She would probably be embarrassed that he had noticed but, really there wasn't much about her that he didn't notice, and over the past two years that he had known her he had seen the way she had changed how she looked at Clark. When Ollie had first met her she looked at him with a combination of hero-worship, friendship, and love in her eyes, but now she looked at him with only friendship. At first Ollie had thought she had finally given up on Clark, but he later realized that she did it when he took up with Lana for the millionth time. It was as if Clark had pushed her too far one too many times and there was no way she could go back to the way she saw him before. It was around this time that she began to convince herself that she had true love with Jimmy, rather than the sweet but tepid relationship they did have. Now her eyes got this shuttered effect whenever she spoke about or to Clark.

Oliver knew that he could never risk her looking at him like that, but at what point did he have to just chuck it all and take a risk?

Was there ever really a good time to tell someone that you loved them?

"Where did you go just now?" Chloe asked, her chin resting in her hand and her food long since forgotten.

"I was just thinking about…relationships," Ollie said. _Good one Queen, now tell her why_. But before he could speak, Chloe cut in.

"I think I understand what's going on," she said with a smile.

"You do?"

"Yep," Chloe said, nodding her head with absolute certainty. "You have a thing for Dinah."

"What?" Ollie managed to choke out.

Chloe smiled her triumphant smile, the one that she always put on after she had solved a puzzle. "I thought there was something different about you since I last saw you. It's Dinah, isn't it? You like her and want a relationship with her, or are already in one, am I right? I noticed she had a little bit of a thing for you when we first met her."

"Chloe," Oliver began, "You have got it all wrong."

"Do I?" She shook her head with a smile. "I don't think so."

Oliver jerked his fingers through his hair in frustration. He so desperately wanted to tell her that she was the one, the only one, that he wanted to be with, but somehow he could not bring the words to the surface. But he needed to explain, he knew that, so he began to speak haltingly. "Look, about Dinah, you were right that something is going on, but it is entirely one-sided. She has let me know that she would be interested in pursuing some sort of relationship with me but I do not feel the same way about her."

Chloe could not understand the reason why, but she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he said that. She had been unconsciously pushing him to find out whether or not he was involved with Dinah, and she was happy to know he was not. But why should she feel so relieved? Chloe told herself it was because she still had hope for Oliver getting back together with her cousin, but that idea rang false to her own ears. But there was something that she could not identify going on, and it bothered her that she could not pinpoint her own feelings.

Chloe settled for smiling with bravado. "Well, I wouldn't hold out on her Oliver, I think you two would make a great pair. What could be more romantic than two superheroes who fall in love while trying to save the world." She stood up and walked over to the couch where her bag was. She reached inside and pulled out the chap-stick that was resting in the inside pocket. Uncapping it, she smoothed it across her lips as she looked over at Oliver.

His stomach clenched in response.

But then he smiled sadly. "As romantic and epic as that sounds, I am not interested in living that kind of life. I want to be with someone who knows my secret and can share it with me, but who is somewhat outside of that world. Who contributes, but doesn't always feel the need to risk their life. I can't imagine what it is like to be in a relationship with someone like me, and the only thing more difficult would be for me to be in a relationship like that as well. It would hurt those I am trying to protect in the long run because I would be worried about the one fighting along beside me."

"That's a little unfair, don't you think?" Chloe asked. "You expect someone to be fine about worrying about you, but you won't live that way as well."

"I can't help it; that is just the way I feel." Oliver stood and walked over to Chloe, his presence dwarfing her and forcing her to look up into his penetrating eyes. He reached out and smoothed her hair that had fallen forward behind her right ear. Chloe's fist wrapped tightly around the forgotten lip balm in her hand. "When I think about the future, I would like to be convinced that there is one. I want to be with a woman who I know will be there when I am not. I want kids, and that is something I could never risk if the woman I ended up with was in my line of work. It would just be too selfish. It is bad enough that I might not be there to see my kids grow up, they should be safe in knowing their mother won't be ripped from them as well."

Chloe's throat was dry and her palms were sweaty, but she managed to speak. Her voice was slightly deeper when she did. "Nothing is certain, Oliver. You could outlive the woman you love and she could die of cancer. Some things are just worth the risk. If you really want to be with a woman, you shouldn't let what ifs determine whether or not you take that risk."

"Luckily I do not have to make that choice," Ollie said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Chloe whispered.

Oliver stepped even closer to her, reaching down and running one finger across the top of her hand. It was now or never, and Ollie knew that he didn't want to look back at this moment with regret. "I mean, the woman that I want to be with is not a superhero. She is an intrepid reporter who will set the world on its ear one day. She is smart and determined and I know that she will always be the one for me." Oliver's eyes were light, waiting for her response.

The one he got was not what he expected. Chloe's face became shuttered and she stepped back from him. She looked up at him and said, "Lois is a very lucky woman."

Ollie's mouth nearly dropped open in shock. He didn't think he could have been more obvious, but just as he opened his mouth to speak again the computer beeped.

"The files are done," Chloe said.

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_A/N: Don't forget to review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_I will prepare and some day my chance will come_ —Abraham Lincoln

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Chapter 3

Chloe moved her body away from him and towards the computer. Walking over to the desk, she bent over the keyboard and began to type quickly. She then inserted a disk and saved the files to it while printing a hard copy for Oliver. When she was done, she didn't look at him, but began to collect her belongings and put on her coat.

"You're leaving? Ollie asked quietly. He watched her hurried movements with disappointment. How could she possibly think that he was speaking about Lois? Had he really acted that into her? When Ollie thought back to those months he had dated her cousin, he only felt relief that they were over. At the time he had even made excuses as to why he seemed to go away for long periods of time. But it was only after he examined his feelings for Chloe that he realized why he seemed to leave Lois as often as possible.

"The job is done," Chloe replied. She lifted her left eyebrow. "Is there something else that I missed?"

Oliver knew that he couldn't just let her walk away. This was his chance, and he had to make her understand how he really felt.

Oliver walked over to her slowly, his every step echoing on the floor. He could hear her heavy breathing as he neared her, and it made him try to steady his own. When he stood right in front of her, Ollie took off the bag she had slung on her shoulder and put his hands gently on her hips, drawing her close to him.

He could feel her heated breath on his neck. "It wasn't Lois I was talking about." He bent his head so his lips were right by her ear. "It was you. You're the one, Chloe. I knew it the moment I met you." He lifted his head and let his eyes connect with hers so she could see the sincerity of his words.

Chloe looked at him in shock. She had no idea what to think or feel. She felt as though the wind was rushing in her ears, and everything she was seeing and hearing was in a haze. Oliver's eyes were still locked on hers, and Chloe felt as though he could see everything she felt. As if he could see the crush she had on him when she first met him, and the jealousy that she had felt when he had shown up for Thanksgiving but her own boyfriend had been gone. As if he could see the way she had sometimes wondered what he looked like without his clothes and what it was like to be naked with him. As if he could see the lust she now felt and her desperate desire to have him kiss her. As if he could see the hope she felt at his statement, and the regret in the fact that she must refuse him because of Lois.

Lois. How could she have forgotten for even a moment? Her cousin would never forgive her for this. If there was one thing Lois was good at it was holding a grudge, and Chloe knew that she was still incredibly bitter about Oliver and all that had happened with him. Chloe knew that she needed to take a step back from the situation, to politely refuse Oliver, but she couldn't seem to make her body move. His hands were still on her hips and his thumbs were tracing circular patterns on her hipbones. His face was close to hers, and his breathing was mingling with her own, and she couldn't think as Lois slipped from her mind.

"We've wasted so much time, Chloe," Oliver said his skin so close to her own. Chloe closed her eyes, savoring the heat of his body as he moved closer. It had been so long since she had simply been held, and much longer since she had been held by a handsome man who was telling her how much he wanted her. "I don't want to waste anymore. I will never know where I finally got the courage to do this, but I am glad I did. I want to be with you, Watchtower. I think about you all the time." His lips were so close to the lobe of her ear that Chloe felt shivers down her spine.

"What do you think about?" Chloe gasped out.

"Everything," He whispered. "I think about your skin, how it feels so soft and smells faintly of vanilla. I think about your lips and what they would feel like against mine, and that leads me to all my ponderings about kissing you. God, Chloe. I spend more time think about that than any other thing."

Chloe's lips quirked, but he could not see. "Somehow I doubt that."

Oliver smiled at the wry tone in her voice. "It's true," he replied. "I won't lie, I do think about sex and, more importantly, sex with you, but I think about kissing you more. I want nothing more than to kiss you."

Chloe pulled her face back so she could see him. "Well, what are you waiting—?"

Oliver groaned and ducked his head, cutting her off. He pressed his lips gently against hers at first, trying to get the measure of her mouth. He had wanted to take it slow, and make her moan with pleasure but he found he couldn't wait any longer. Soon his mouth was moving against hers heatedly while his tongue mated with hers.

Heat was surging through Chloe's body, she had never felt anything like this before. She had some great kisses in her life, but this on erased all of those from her mind. She forgot her first kiss with Clark, and hell, all the rest of them too. Jimmy's eager, but inexperienced, kisses also melted from her mind and all she was left with was Oliver. Every part of her body was singing, and she had the desperate desire to wrap her legs around his waist.

Oliver pulled away for breath. "Oh God, Chloe," He whispered. He cupped her face gently in his hands. His thumbs gently traced over her reddened lips in a gentle soothing motion. "I always thought it would be like this. We should have done this a long time ago."

Chloe stiffened in that moment, his words like a bucket of ice water. There was a reason they had never done this before, and that reason was her cousin. Chloe felt like the worst kind of betrayer in that moment. She pulled away from Oliver, turning her back so she would not have to see his intense and passionate eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

Chloe answered in a shaky voice. "There is a reason we never did this before, Oliver. You and I both know why."

"Lois." Oliver's invocation of her name echoed in the vast penthouse.

Chloe nodded her head, still not looking at him. God, what was wrong with her? Her body was still shaking from his passionate kisses and her blood was still racing through her body, making her feel more alive than she ever had before.

"Chloe…look at me," Oliver commanded quietly.

Chloe turned around, compelled by the sound of his voice.

Oliver moved forward and tried to reach out for her. Chloe shied away from his touch, and he let his hand to fall to his side. Oliver put his hands in his pockets and looked at her through his lashes, his eyes lowered. "Chloe, I didn't kiss you as a way to get back at Lois."

"I didn't think you did," Chloe said.

"Then what's wrong?" Oliver looked at her in frustration. How was it she was so unaffected? That kiss had been one of the best of his life and yet Chloe was standing there looking collected and unfazed. Was it possible that she didn't feel anything for him?

"I can't do this to Lois," Chloe said. "She is not just my cousin, Oliver, she is more like my sister. I would never betray her like this."

Oliver laughed harshly. "You think you are protecting her feelings? Chloe, Lois doesn't care about me in the slightest. I had barely left before she climbed into her new editor's bed. You shouldn't feel as though you need to protect her, I promise you she does not care."

"You only say that because you do not know her," Chloe replied, shaking her head. "Lois feels things deeply; she just keeps them close to the vest. She would be devastated if she found out about us." She was looking at him so earnestly, Oliver felt his heart clench.

He then shook his head and looked at Chloe. "You are confusing Lois with who you want her to be and who she really is." He reached out his hand again and this time Chloe did not flinch away. "You are so good, Chloe. It is no wonder that you want to believe in the best in people, but I think you have been around Clark too long. Not everyone has the same set of morals that you do."

Chloe looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Oliver shook his head. "It doesn't matter, not really." Oliver wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her all about how Lois had moved on so quickly, and how he suspected that one of the major reasons she had been dating him was for his money, but he didn't. It was rare that a reporter like Chloe still had faith in those she loved. Oliver didn't want to be the one to take that away from her. So instead he said, "I just wish that I had met you first. That moment I saw you for the first time was like coming to life after years asleep. I always went after girls like Lois, never wanting more, but then you came along and I suddenly knew how much I was missing out on."

"I felt the same," Chloe confessed. "I had spent so long obsessing over Clark that I forgot what it was like to really see someone. I mean _really_ see someone. And then I saw you and it was like the blinders were suddenly removed." Chloe blushed at her confession.

"Chloe," Oliver whispered reverently. He lowered his head and once again claimed her lips with his. And Chloe was once again wrapped up in his arms and lost to the passion of his kisses. Oliver pulled Chloe's coat from her body and she anchored her arms around his neck.

They were so involved in each other that neither of them heard the arrival of the elevator.

* * *

_A/N: Hmmm, who do you think it is? Don't forget to review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_How poor are they who have not patience! What wound wound did ever heal but by degrees --William Shakspeare_

* * *

Chapter 4

It would be impossible to describe two people more wrapped up in each other than Chloe and Oliver. Their bodies were entwined, their heartbeats matching beat for beat, and their breath mingled as they breathed in. It was for perhaps this reason that they didn't hear the lift arriving, but another reason could be that they didn't want to hear it. Both Chloe and Oliver knew that they would eventually have to leave the idle that they had found and face reality, but neither knew they would have to face it so soon.

The elevator arrived just as Oliver lifted Chloe up against his hips. His hands were securely placed under her bottom, and she had wrapped her legs around his hips.

The two people who stepped off could only stare in shock at the pair. Neither of them had known something was going on between Oliver and Chloe, and this was quite a surprise.

"Whoa," was the word that finally woke Chloe and Oliver up. They both froze and then slowly broke apart as Oliver lowered her to the floor. They turned and saw A.C. and Bart standing there with identical expressions of surprise. It was A.C. who had spoken, wanting to stop them before they went too far in front of him and Bart.

And now they all stood there looking at each other waiting for someone to speak first.

"Chloelicious, say it isn't so!" Bart moaned, breaking the tension in the room.

A.C. began to laugh and so did Chloe. Even Oliver saw the humor in the moment and cracked a smile. He was more embarrassed than anything else, he didn't want his men to see him as vulnerable, but when it came to Chloe he was certainly that.

Chloe tried to control her smile. "Sorry Bart, you made me wait too long."

A.C. laughed at Bart's crestfallen look. He finally turned to Oliver and said, "Sorry for interrupting bro, we, uh, had to come back here and get the specs for the next project. We didn't mean to intrude."

Oliver nodded, walking over to the command center and getting another flash drive out of the drawer which he tossed to A.C. Chloe wondered dimly just how many projects the Justice League was working on at once.

Chloe tried to ignore the accusing looks Bart was shooting her way.

"So are you two a couple now?" He asked sulkily.

Chloe didn't know how to answer; she looked at Oliver who had returned to her side. He took her hand with a smile and lifted an eyebrow as if to say 'It's your decision'. Chloe looked over at Bart and nodded her head. "Yes, we are."

Bart looked even worse as Chloe said that. He knew he had no chance of competing against Oliver.

A.C. seemed to sense that it was now time to leave. "Well, congrats you two. We are just going to be going." He steered Bart to the elevator who was mumbling about 'seeing her first'.

After the boys left, Oliver looked down at their joined hands and smiled. "It's going to be all over the League by morning, you know that right?"

Chloe shrugged. "Well, at least we won't have to tell them ourselves."

Oliver gently began to rub the back of her hand with his thumb. "What about Lois and…Clark?"

"Well, I think it is safe to say Lois won't hear about it for a while. I will figure something out with her. Hopefully she will date someone one new soon so she won't be as upset. I will tell her Oliver, it just might take some time."

"And Clark?"

"I don't know. As far as we know, Bart might already be at the farm telling him."

"He won't," Oliver said.

"How do you know?"

"Because Clark is a hero in Bart's eyes. He won't want to be the one to tell him about what happened here."

Chloe sighed. "I just don't think I can tell him by myself."

Oliver cupped her face with his hand. "So we'll tell him together."

Chloe beamed at him. "You would do that for me?"

Oliver lowered his face to the side of her cheek and kissed her lightly. He whispered against her skin, "I would do anything for you."

As he pulled back and Chloe looked in his eyes, she smiled. "You know, I believe that."

"Good," Oliver said with a smile. "I have been waiting for you for such a long time."

"How long?"

"Since the first moment I met you." Oliver whispered. "Hell, that's a lie. I have always been waiting for you. Ever since my parents died, I have felt so alone. So much of my life involved pretending. Pretending that I was okay, pretending that I was happy, pretending that I didn't miss them with an incredible emptiness, but then you came along and I didn't have to pretend any longer. And when I finally realized that I could just be Oliver with you, well, it was the best day of my life and I have been willing to wait ever since."

Chloe smiled at him as her insides were turning. She suddenly realized that she loved him. She didn't know when it had happened, but it had. He had taken every empty space in her heart and filled it with himself. And now all she could see was Oliver. She didn't know what they would do about Clark or Lois, but she knew she wouldn't mind any consequences if Ollie would stand by her side.

In a way she was grateful for Bart and A.C. showing up like they did. They took the decision out of her hands. If it had been up to her, she would have never had enough courage to go after what she wanted, and she would have ended up missing out on one of the greatest chances of her life.

Chloe looked up into Oliver's eyes and whispered, "The wait is over, for both of us."

He smiled, bent down, and kissed her. As his lips touched hers, Chloe thought dimly that it was just like coming home.

The End

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_A/N: Well, that's the end. This was originally meant to be a one shot around the first Chapter, but it grew and grew. I have another story, much longer, for Chlollie that I want to start and will soon. This was so much fun to write and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Please review!_


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